Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, told the Guardian that the monitoring of Russian raids indicated an increased emphasis in recent weeks on terrorizing Ukraine’s civilian population. “We have a system to track and monitor all air and other attacks in our country and what we have noticed recently is a tendency to destroy more and more civilian targets. They decided to terrorize the civilian population. These are not my feelings, but what the observation tells us.” Map of Ukraine Friday July 15th While Russia has been accused of targeting civilians during its invasion of Ukraine, missile attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure appear to have increasingly become a distinct tactic with a series of deadly attacks in the past month. An attack on a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, a small town on the Dnieper River, in late June killed 18 people and injured 59. An apartment building and a beach hotel in Serhiivka, 50 kilometers south of Odessa, were hit on July 1, killing 21 people and 35 injured. Two apartment buildings in Chasiv Yar, near the front line in Donetsk region, were hit on July 9: 48 people are believed to have been killed, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the entire five-month war. Vinnytsia, a central town far from the front lines, was hit on Thursday, five days later. Danilov suggested that some attacks – including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ visit to Kiev – seemed designed to send a message of defiance. Thursday’s attack in Vinnytsia came as European ministers sat in The Hague to discuss how to hold Russia accountable for atrocities committed during its invasion of Ukraine. “We have an enemy who violates all the rules of war and rejects international law, so we cannot expect better behavior,” Danilov said. “What amazes me is that a country that rejects international law is allowed to participate in international institutions to assert its ‘rights’.” A multiple missile attack on Kiev’s university district on June 26, just as the G7 summit was about to begin – and after the EU summit had concluded – was interpreted as an attempt to intimidate Ukrainians and show that Russia is not afraid of the West . It was the first time the capital had been hit for three weeks. Dr Sidharth Kaushal, an analyst at the Rusi thinktank, said Russia had used long-range missiles capable of hitting anywhere in Ukraine for two purposes: either “disrupting the flow of supplies to the front line or terrorizing civilians”. Recent strikes, he added, “suggest an emphasis on the latter function and because their targets were clearly civilian.” Some of the missiles used were Soviet-era – and used in a way that was not intended by their original design. Kaushal said that in Kremenchuk, Russia used an AS-4 “kitchen” anti-ship missile first developed in the 1960s. Amnesty International said the same munition was used in the twin missile attack in Serhiivka – indicating, added the Kaushal, that “the goal is terror, not accuracy.” Ukraine’s missile defense systems are limited, with early warning capabilities lost in the early stages of war. Its air raid warning system is largely ineffective, and sirens in cities outside conflict zones are rarely followed by attacks. To improve the situation, Kyiv has sought to acquire defense systems from the West – receiving limited supplies so far. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST In early July, the US promised to supply two US-Norwegian Nasams air defense systems, which operate with a range of about 20 miles, suitable for protecting Kiev or another large population center. But Russia’s recent wave of missile attacks has focused on secondary or tertiary centers. Konrad Muzyka, a military analyst and director of Rochan Consulting, said he believes the increasing Russian strikes are linked to Ukraine’s use of longer-range multiple-launch artillery systems, notably the newly arrived Himars truck battery from the US. “The more successful the Ukrainians are in using Kheimar, the more likely the Russians will target civilians,” Muzyka said, arguing that Moscow’s tactics were actually a crude deterrence effort designed to weaken Kiev’s desire to fight back and kick the attackers. outside. Danilov rejected this interpretation. “You cannot connect the arrival of Heimari with these strikes. Even if we didn’t have these systems, they would still be terrorizing and killing the civilian population, so the connection is a Russian narrative.” A security alert released Thursday night, titled “Missile Threat Update,” once again advised Americans to leave Ukraine. He added: “Avoid large gatherings and organized events, as they may serve as Russian military targets anywhere in Ukraine, including its western regions.” The latest attacks coincided with intercepted messages and social media posts by Russian military and pro-Russian bloggers that explicitly celebrate the strikes on Ukrainian civilians. On Friday, Russia acknowledged that it had targeted the center of Vinnytsia, saying it was aimed at a meeting between Ukrainian officials and Western arms dealers, but without providing any evidence. Earlier, pro-Kremlin sources had denied hitting Vinnytsia, saying another city had been hit.
